This invention relates to beverage containers, of the type that may include sip cups or sipper cups, which have a lid with a sip spout to limit the flow of liquid for a individuals drinking from the cup. The invention is more specifically concerned with washable and reusable cups that facilitate keeping the mating lid with the associated cup, so that the lid and cup remain together through washing and storage.
The invention is particularly concerned with a sip cup intended for individuals that have a swallowing difficulty. These persons are often found in an elder care facility or an assisted care residence. A problem can arise in these facilities when the lids get separated from the drink containers in the kitchen area, and the one that fits a given cup often is not found. Currently the lids get lost or discarded, and as a result the persons with swallowing difficulty are given a cup with no lid. Use of an open cup when use of a sip cup has been recommended can result in swallowing problems such as aspirating of the liquid, choking, or worse.
Other individuals who may not have swallowing problems but have difficulty in holding a drink cup because of shaking issues, e.g., Parkinson's disease sufferers, may require a lid for their drink cups to avoid splashing or spilling, but do not need a sip lid. However, the same problem arises that there are not always lids available because they have been lost.
Current sip cups do not have separate lids that are attached to the cup. The lids themselves are lightweight, too light to be washed in a typical institutional dishwasher and stay in the location they are placed. The lids are often moved off the rack by the surging water during the wash and rinse cycles, and these can end up near the heating elements where they are destroyed by heat during the drying cycle. The lids can also be lost or damaged for many other reasons.
For many individuals with swallowing problems, e.g., dysphagia, the use of sip cups is imperative for maintaining swallowing safety and for preventing patients from aspirating or choking The main purpose of the sip cup, from the standpoint of a speech-language pathologist, is to help control the size of the sip that an individual can take. Sip cups are also used for individuals exhibiting an uncontrollable tremor, e.g., individuals with Parkinson's disease, who may spill drinks frequently, but in many cases these patients do not have the same swallowing problems, and can be given a cup with a simple drink opening instead of a spout.
The care providers, e.g., nurses, and non-clinical staff members, e.g., nurses' aids, often do not understand the importance of providing individuals with covered sip cups as recommended by speech pathologists and occupational therapists. When no lids are available, these care providers often provide drinks to the individual in cups with no sip cup lid. This inadvertently places the patient at risk for possible aspiration, which may result in aspiration pneumonia or choking, which may result in serious injury or death. Moreover, because they lack an understanding of the purpose and importance of the use of sip cups for patients with dysphagia, staff members and family members alike often dispose of the sip cup lids, creating an increasing shortage.
This problem appears to be system wide, and not simply a problem that appears in a few scattered hospitals or care facilities.
Ideally, individuals will be provided with sip cups several times a day, i.e., for medication passes, nourishment passes (morning and afternoon), at three meals each day, and any other time in which one of those individuals may wish to have a beverage during the day. Lack of the appropriate equipment places every affected patient at high risk for medical complications. In addition, the failure to have sip cups available can place the facility itself at risk of non-compliance with government health department inspections, specifically for being out of compliance with a physician's order, or speech therapist's or occupational therapist's recommendations.
For some patients without swallowing problems but who may have difficulty in holding a drink cup steady, drink cups with lids that have a simple opening in the lid, but not sip spouts, may be required. Here, the lid is needed because of spilling or splashing issues. In these cases also cups are often missing their lids because the lids have become separated from the cups and then lost.